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Smoking prevalence by sex

Smoking prevalence was the same for male and female students in grades 6-9 in 2014-15, although exact estimates are suppressed due to unacceptable quality.80 Similarly, among youth aged 15-19, smoking prevalence did not differ significantly between males and females in 201581 (Figure 8.5).

Over time, among 15- to 19-year-olds, prevalence patterns have shifted from higher female smoking prevalence (from 1999 until the mid-2000s), to a greater percentage of males smoking for most of the last decade (Figure 8.6).

Among students in grades 6-9, the same general pattern was observed, although with much smaller differences between the sexes: females had slightly higher smoking rates from 1994 to 2004-05, followed by slightly higher rates among males, but equalizing in the most recent waves (Figure 8.6).

Figure 8.5 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence by sex, Grades 6-9, 2014-15, and age 15-19, 2015

Grades 6-9

Age 15-19

Males

Females

Males

Females

Current

<2*

<2*

11.0 [8.0-13.9]

8.3 [5.6-11.1]

Daily

*

*

5.1 [2.7-7.4]

3.4 [1.6-5.2]

Non-daily

*

*

5.9 [4.0-7.7]

4.9 [2.8-7.1]

*Exact estimates suppressed due to unacceptable quality. The upper bounds for the estimates are less than 2%.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2015; Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2014-15.

Figure 8.6 Data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence (daily and non-daily) by sex, Grades 6-9 and age 15-19, 1994-2015